[COLUG] VPS Server: Which Linux to choose?

[Rob Stampfli]

I currently have a Tektonic VPS server initially acquired about 5 years
ago.  It runs Fedora Core 2, which is getting rather long in the tooth
(although, perhaps remarkably, it has never been hacked and still does
a very credible job of serving up the applications I want it to).
However, the installed software base (php, mysql, etc.) is getting old
enough to be problematic with today's software releases -- they want
something newer -- and I've decided it's time to move on to a more
current OS.  My choices are:

	CentOS 5    (32 or 64 bit)
	Debian 4    (32 bit)
	Ubuntu 6.06 (32 bit)

I run Fedora 8 and Ubuntu 7.04 and 7.10 at home.  Have never run CentOS
or Debian before.  I'd expect Debian to be the closest to Fedora, but
Ubuntu 6.06 LTS will offer server updates thru 6/2011, and I'm familiar
with it in a desktop environment.

Would anyone care to suggest which OS I should install, or which I
should steer clear of?  Or Pitfalls, Gotchas, or "Oh, you should know..."

FWIW, I would like to transition to the new server over the course of
the next month, and then retire the old one, and I'd like an OS that
will see me through the next 3-5 year timeframe without having to do
this again.  The VPS will be a relatively small one (256MB of dedicated
RAM)  Also, I maintain my systems with su and vi; I don't use Control
Panels like Plesk, cPanel or their ilk.

Any insights would be appreciated.

Thanks in advance,
Rob